Category: Anne Hathaway and pantyhose

As my loyal readers know, besides their comments here, I receive tons of private emails concerning everything you can imagine about pantyhose (but, almost always clean and classy, which I appreciate).

Naturally, I’m always interested in hearing the views of others, so I am open to receiving unexpected emails or letters to our P.O. Box.

But nothing could have prepared me for the note that was slipped under my door recently. It was like a scene from the X-Files. It’s almost midnight and I’m still working alone in my office.

With the place dimly lit, I notice an ominous shadow cast under the door jam. I’m a little anxious. Who’d be calling on me at this hour? This can’t be good. Then, a note is slid under my door and the shadow just as suddenly disappears.

Typically, I don’t get too excited about a hand-delivered note as long as it’s not a bill or a jury summons.

But this had a strange sense of urgency about it, so I read it at once. Hand-scrawled on scrap paper, it read:

“Dear Rob (I was surprised, as only my closest friends call me Rob),

If you consider yourself a responsible journalist, you won’t pass up the opportunity to expose the discrimination and repression that has been wrought against beardom for the past zillion years or so.”

It was signed simply: The Grizzly

At first, I thought the whole thing was a prank, but the next day an invitation came via a text message (how do these people get my number?) with a time and date to meet The Grizzly at his office (I didn’t know Grizzly bears even have offices) for an exclusive interview. I have to admit, I was filled with some level of trepidation. What could The Grizzly want with me? Was this about my poaching Sarah Jessica Parker — his signature client in his “bear” legs cause? Did he want a piece of me?

So, I reread the note. Yes, he wanted a piece alright. The Grizzly was inviting me to write a piece about … what did he call it … oh, yes, the discrimination and repression of beardom. Hmmmm, my arch enemy was reaching out to me to shed light on an issue that was troubling not only him, but “all of beardom.” (I hadn’t realized there’s a beardom.)

While I probably should have thought better of the idea, the curiosity was too much for me to “bear” (yuk yuk), so I accepted the invitation, and a limousine arrived for me the next morning. Wow, The Grizzly certainly has a sense of class and style, sending a limo for me. And it was a nice ride to a more well-to-do neighborhood than I expected.

The entrance and driveway were impressive enough, and then I looked up at a very large and really tall house before The Grizzly came out to meet me. I was shocked at how big this guy really is. Must be 14 feet tall, and I couldn’t even begin to guess how much he weighs. I was certain my kung fu would be of no use against such a specimen. I had willingly walked into the bear’s domain and was on my own now.

To my relief, The Grizzly was quite formal and engaging. He invited me into his office. He called it the den. (I thought that was clever.) It was warm and cozy, kind of like a man cave, only he’s a Grizzly, so I’d have to say it was a bear cave. He took a seat in the den in a plush chair that probably should have been a lot bigger.

He got right to the point:

“Being The Grizzly is no picnic,” he said.

I stifled a giggle. “No picnic.” That was cute. Bears certainly are linked to picnics, I thought, and I couldn’t stop this image from forming in my head. But somehow he must have gotten that same image because in his version, the bear’s picnic basket was packed generously with ActSensuous pantyhose for food.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he continued. “I mean, yeah, I’m at the top of the food chain and all in my world. But people are really missing the point here. If it weren’t for my role as champion of the bare legs cause, no one would care about bears.”

“Wait a minute, you mean you represent that ugly subculture of women who hate pantyhose just for the attention,” I asked?

“Oh, it’s all PR,” he said. “I do it strictly for the image.”

“Seriously, Grizzly bears have an image problem,” I asked?

“Think about it,” he said. “What kind of images do you associate with bears?”

He was right. The first thing that came to my mind was hunting. Then, all kinds of terrible thoughts hit me, such as a mounted bear inside a cabin at a resort, and those huge bear skin rugs in front of fireplaces.

“Come to think of it, there are a lot of dreadful things humans associate with bears,” I admitted, swallowing hard.

“Yeah, well, that aint the half of it, sister,” he said. “Bears have been pushed around, disrespected and abused since time immemorial.

So, look, you showed up, proving you’re a responsible journalist after all. You want to hear my story, and will you print it in your blog?”

I agreed. And so the interview began. And, being true to my part of the agreement, here is the transcript of the interview between myself and The Grizzly:

Interview with The Grizzly

Robin: So, you’re saying bears have always had it bad?

Grizzly: Oh yeah, we get no respect. Never have. From always being depicted as the bad guys in movies, to being falsely accused of terrorizing campers … heck, just in everyday life, you humans are always dissing bears.

Robin: Really, always in everyday life? Gimme an example.

Grizzly: How much time you got? There are so many examples. Take everyday phrases you people say, using my species’ namesake. They’re all negative: There’s “Bear with me” when you’re taking too long to accomplish something. There’s “I can’t bear it” when you’re dealing with a hardship. There’s “bear down” when you’re taking on a difficult project. And then, there’s my all-time favorite: “Does a bear sh** in the woods?”

Robin: (Again, I tried not to laugh, remembering I had said after reading The Grizzly’s note in my office: “… the curiosity was too much for me to bear.”)

Robin: Well, I’m not sure you had to include that last one, but OK, I’ll give you that there are many things people say that have a negative connotation toward bears, although really, they’re not intended that way. Still, there’s at least one positive “bear” phrase you should like.

Grizzly: Yeah, what’s that?

Robin: “I come bearing gifts.”

Grizzly: I come baring legs.

Robin: Haaaaaaa, good one!

Grizzly: Sorry, couldn’t resist. You walked right in to that one.

Robin: Yeah, I tend to do that. I mean, I’m here, aint I? But, really, not all movies make you the bad guy.

Grizzly: Name one that doesn’t.

Robin: Everybody loves Baloo the Bear in the movie, The Jungle Book. “Look for the bear necessities …”

Grizzly: Please stopping singing that. I won’t be able to get that song out of my head for weeks now. Anyway, humans think that movie is cute, but at its essence, it’s embarrassing at best to bears.

Robin: Really? Sorry to hear that. OK, what about Smoky the Bear? He’s certainly a good guy. He ought to be a role model for all bears. Heck, you’ve got a poster of him on your wall there.

Grizzly: He’s … what’s the word I’m looking for … oh yeah, slow.

Robin: What?

Grizzly: Alright, he’s not slow really. But we bears don’t care for him. He’s a little too chummy with you humans.

Robin: OK, now I’m really nervous. On to a different subject. Could it be that you’re too defensive about your role in pop culture?

Grizzly: Look, bears have had a bad rap since as far back as the 1800s when that libelous story first came out about three bears and some snot-nosed little brat.

Robin: Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Oh, c’mon, that’s one of the most popular fairy tales of all time.

Grizzly: Well, it didn’t start out that way. You should Google that title.

Robin: (The Grizzly uses Google?)

Grizzly: Originally, the Goldilocks character was an old hag who busted into a bear family’s cottage all uninvited you know. Today, that’s known as a home invasion. Then, she had the nerve to eat up their porridge and try to stay. Nowadays, you call that squatting. And then, when the bear family comes home, she freaks out and bolts, accidentally falling to her death. But, it was the bears who got the blame for that, and we’ve been the bad guys ever since.

Robin: Yeah, but another author came along later and changed the old hag character into a pretty little girl with golden hair who was actually treated more hospitably by the three bears. What about that?

Grizzly: Oh, sure, that innocent little girl. She broke into the bear family’s cottage, ate up their porridge, broke Baby Bear’s chair and then slept in Papa Bear’s bed. Little brat probably even peed in the bed. Yet, she’s the hero. Little kids all over the world grow up thinking it’s OK to take advantage of bears, all because Goldilocks became a star.

Robin: Well, it’s just a fairy tale. And, I’d hardly call her a star. In fact, for the most part, Goldilocks has been all but forgotten for years.

Grizzly: Not by bears. We’re reminded of her every time we see a Chevy Chase movie co-starring that blonde who just so happens to be a direct descendant of Goldilocks.

Robin: Who’s that?

Grizzly: You know … Goldie Hawn.

Robin: Ohhhhh, Goldilocks/Goldie Hawn. I get it.

Grizzly: She had it all, that Goldie Hawn. Beauty, talent, brains, and she was funny as heck. And she really was a star. And, I’m sure you love the fact that she was a devoted pantyhose wearer in her day.

No matter the role or the scene, Goldie Hawn always could be counted on to wear sheer suntan (left) or nude pantyhose (above).

Robin: Well, sure, I loved Goldie Hawn for all her talent and especially because she always wore sheer suntan or nude pantyhose in every movie of hers I ever saw.

But you ought to feel a little vindicated by the fact that Goldie’s actress daughter, Kate Hudson, doesn’t seem to share her mother’s sense of professionalism, class and good taste, to say nothing of femininity. Shame, too, because the few times she does wear sheer pantyhose, she looks amazing. But for now anyway, it certainly seems she’s more likely to be seen bear-legged.

Grizzly: When you write up the transcript of this interview, how are you going to spell what you just said there?

Robin: What, bear-legged? Uh, b a r e …

Grizzly: Riiiiiiight.

Robin: Heh heh heh. Well, speaking of that, you mentioned earlier that you champion the whole bear-legs cause just for the PR. How’s that been working out for you?

Grizzly: During the mid-to-late ‘90s and the entire decade of 2000, it rocked to be The Grizzly. I mean, bare legs was all the rage. Women everywhere were wearing fabulous dresses or skirts, designer shoes with beautiful pedicures and then completely ruining the outfits with their bare legs. That was awesome! It really looked ridiculous, but they were all brainwashed. They even dressed that way at the office. Heck, even to weddings and funerals. Suddenly, bears were getting the love we always deserved.

Robin: Wait, you just said that the bear-legs look was ridiculous. Does that mean you really don’t hate pantyhose?

Grizzly: No-no, not at all. I love pantyhose. They taste great. They’re my main source of fiber these days. C’mon, you’ve seen the pics. You’ve published them in your blog. Bears everywhere love ripping pantyhose — especially your brand — to shreds.

Listen, I’ve got a whole new image to uphold these days. I told you, I’m in this campaign for the good publicity. If women want to bare their legs in even the most professional or formal of venues, no matter how awful they look, that’s just good for business as far as I’m concerned?

Robin: I’ve never been able to figure out how so many women throughout the world lost their minds this way.

Grizzly: Oh, you called it from the beginning: It was that whole Sex and the City thing that gave women the idea they could stop wearing pantyhose, coinciding with the casualization of the office in general. This just got women all over the world to jump on that bandwagon until bare legs turned into pop culture. I told you: Humans are easily influenced by a good story and a convincing actress.

Robin: Yeah, you really did have a pretty good run there with Sarah Jessica Parker, didn’t you?

Grizzly: You really shouldn’t remind me about that while you’re in The Grizzly’s den. But, yeah, we had a good thing going for a while there. She had women everywhere fooled for a long time. I still can’t believe you stole my best client.

Robin: Well, I didn’t really steal her from you. I merely set the record straight. She was just playing a part on TV and in the movies. But it became clear that in real life, she wasn’t truly the pantyhose hater everyone thought she was. I had to give her Credit ‘wear’ Credit is Due.

Grizzly: I gotta admit: It hurt losing SJP. I thought we were close.

Robin: I did feel a little bad about that. But it was touching to see how you tried so hard to win her back. Very romantic you were.

Grizzly: Yeah, I’ll miss her. She and I were good together.

Robin: Actually, I always thought your true signature client was Stacy London. I see you’ve got that picture of the two of you on your table there.

“Fashion consultant” Stacy London of the reality TV show, ‘What Not to Wear,’ received the first Grizzly Award, on Dec. 6, 2011, and she appeared to be quite pleased about it.

And, boy, does Stacy London deserve it. Still, SJP was a bigger star. And the damage she did, whether intentionally or not, was good enough to sustain the bare-legs cause for probably a while to come still.

Robin: You might be right about that, but surely, you’ve noticed that it’s been more and more difficult for me to find a celebrity who’s truly deserving of The Grizzly Awards.

Grizzly: I have noticed that. And don’t call me Shirley.

Robin: Good gosh, who knew The Grizzly has a sense of humor?

Grizzly: Hey, I told you: It’s all about the PR, and humor is my calling card. But to answer your question, yes, membership in the bare legs club definitely has waned recently. I mean there are still a few celebs who — since the opportunity to not wear was created in the first place — probably will never wear pantyhose again. I’ll go through my Rolodex and send you some names.

Robin: Really, you’d do that for me? Wow, what a guy. Wait a minute, you have a Rolodex?

Grizzly: Hey, you know the saying: “Keep your friends close, and your enemies over for dinner.” Or, something like that.

Robin: Uhhhhh, let’s be friends, not enemies, shall we?

Grizzly: You really shouldn’t consider me the enemy. After all, I made you.

Robin: Uhhhhhh, I’m sorry, come again?

Grizzly: C’mon, your blog would be just another pile of dull crap about pantyhose on the Internet if it weren’t for The Grizzly Awards and your whole “bear” legs thing. I have to admit, that was very clever.

Robin: Yeah, thanks, but I don’t know about that whole “you made me thing.” I kinda think I’ve made you. If you weren’t the face (or the legs, actually) of the “bear”-legs franchise, what would you being doing right now … stealing pic-i-nic baskets?

Robin: Oh boy! OK, let’s get back to the fact that it’s increasingly difficult for me to find a celebrity today who is truly deserving of The Grizzly Awards because even if one thinks of her as a bear legger, at least occasionally, she can be seen wearing pantyhose. I don’t want to be thought of as unjustly attacking a celebrity who might be loved by many in either the pantyhose or the bear-legs camps. It would be too easy for someone to counter with: “Wait a minute, look at this picture: She was wearing pantyhose for this occasion, or at that venue.” I could lose credibility if I pick on someone who does wear at least once in a while.

Grizzly: No, no, no, you gotta go with the percentages, kiddo. There are still quite a few celebs out there who wear pantyhose out and about — and I know how much you love that — but then, they go bare-legged to a formal ceremony, such as The Oscars or The Grammy Awards. And I know how much you hate that.

Robin: Exactly. I truly hate that.

Grizzly: So present them with The Grizzly Awards already.

Robin: I would, but sometimes the lines are a bit blurred. It’s tough to tell who’s who in this contest.

Grizzly: C’mon, you know who these people are. I know a part of you feels it would be the right thing to do to hand out The Grizzly Award to Sandra Oh. Am I right? You know I’m right. You really do want to give Sandra Oh the coveted Grizzly Award, don’t you? It’s OK, you can say it. Everyone knows you do. You never see that chick in pantyhose, but you’re torn because the few times she did wear in the past, you think she looked amazing, and you loved her, and now you don’t want to make her look bad.

Robin: Man, you got me pegged. How do you know these things? Who’ve you been talking with?

Robin: Stop, stop already. I love all of them, and they’ve each been known to wear pantyhose so beautifully, at least once in a while. You’re cruel.

Grizzly: Talk to the paw, Honey, talk to the paw. I just call ‘em as I see ‘em.

Robin: Well, you are right about Marie Matiko. I have never ever seen a single picture of her wearing pantyhose. And that is so strange, as she is Japanese and wearing sheer pantyhose is practically the law in Japan. I guess Marie Matiko is too Americanized to care.

But including Jun Ji-hyun (aka Jun Ji-hyeon, aka Gianna Jun) on your list is baffling to me. Ji-Hyun wears pantyhose 10 times more frequently than all of those actresses you mentioned combined. With me, she’ll always get credit for her starring role in the movie Blood: The Last Vampire (above), as she wore sheer nude pantyhose with her Japanese schoolgirl outfit. (Note: Jun Ji-hyun, featured in this blog a few years ago, actually is Korean.)

Grizzly: Yeah, yeah … OK, fine. I’ll give you that one. I can understand why you’re so high on her.

She does seem to do everything right in your world.

Robin: Yes, she really is a class act in every way. She is a very popular actress, beloved for her romantic comedies, which is why it was a such a surprise that she starred in Blood: The Last Vampire, and did an excellent job transitioning into a physical/martial arts genre.

And she certainly sets a great example for younger Asian celebs, who might otherwise attempt to emulate the way Hollywood celebrities dress.

Robin: Sorry, couldn’t resist. Yeah, Kelly Hu — a gorgeous woman with great legs. Such a waste that she seems to never have heard of the word, pantyhose. Sure, there’s the extremely rare time when she wears black tights or fishnets with high boots, but that doesn’t count in my book. Why hide those legs in pantyhose under boots?

Grizzly: See what I mean? You’ve got a lot of choices to hand out a Grizzly Award. Want me to name the non-Asian celebs now?

Robin: OK, fine. Darn, those are some good names on your list. What happened to them? Of course, pantyhose lovers are happy that Julianna Margulies wears sheer nude pantyhose on The Good Wife, but she never wears during a late night talk show, and I’m guessing never to an awards show, or even when she’s out and about. That means she wears on The Good Wife only because she has to. If it were up to her, I’m sure she wouldn’t wear on that show.

Grizzly: Now you’re getting it. You’ve just been looking at it all wrong.

Robin: Oh my goodness, I’m so confused now.

Grizzly: Listen, just because you’ve seen each one of them wear pantyhose in the past, or even recently on a TV show, or in a movie, you have to look at their complete body of work. Most of them, left to their own devices, are going to go bare-legged. There really are a few of them who most definitely deserve to receive The Grizzly Award. In fact, I’ve got one I am sure you’ve never thought of, whom I would venture to say has never worn pantyhose a day in her whole life.

Robin: Really? Oh, do tell, do tell.

Grizzly: I don’t want to spoil it for your readers by mentioning her here now. Tell you what … I’ll text you later, and you’ll agree with me. Then, she can be your next recipient of The Grizzly Awards.

Robin: Oh, c’mon, just give me a hint? (Wait a minute … The Grizzly can text?)

Grizzly: OK, sure. Actually, it might be fun for your readers. They know these things. In fact, they’ve probably already thought of this one. She’s an actress in her mid-30s and her initials are JB. I guarantee you won’t be able to find a single picture of her in sheer pantyhose.

Robin: Really? Can’t wait to learn who this one is.

Grizzly: Yeah, and here’s another candidate for you. Her initials are BB.

Robin: Game show host?

Grizzly: Bingo.

Robin: Yeah, I hate her. She’s gorgeous, but totally unprofessional. She never wears. She definitely deserves to receive The Grizzly Award. Actually, I wish Grizzlies would just eat her. No one I know would mind if a Grizzly just devoured her.

Readers, know the celebs (JB and BB) The Grizzly and Robin are talking about? Tell us who they are via email (robin@actsensuous.com), and if you’re right, win one or two free pairs of ActSensuous pantyhose.

Receive one free pair for correctly naming one celebrity; get two free pairs for correctly naming both.

Only one email entry per reader please.

Grizzly: Now you’re coming around. You’ve been too nice, especially, when it comes to the borderline types. I say even though they used to be consistent pantyhose-wearers, if they have been seen more often bare-legged, they’re fair game for you.

Robin: Geez, you’re right, Grizz. I really don’t understand some of these people.

Rob: OK, now on the other hand … check that … on the other paw (snicker), who would you say are some of the more famous celebrities who never bought in to the bear-legs culture from the get-go, or at least the ones who most consistently wear pantyhose for all the right reasons.

Rob: Oh, yes, Kate Middleton should get a Nobel Peace Prize for practically bringing pantyhose back from the grave. That’s very good. You really know your celebs.

Grizz: Rosario Dawson.

Rob: I’m sorry …

Grizz: Rosario Dawson.

Rob: Oh my goodness, you are soooooo right again. She is extremely classy all the time. I don’t think she ever bought in to that whole bear-legs deal. That lovely woman always wears the most sheer, sexy pantyhose and looks absolutely stunning in them.

Note: Well, that’s what I thought anyway. In doing a search on the Internet for a current picture to use here, I didn’t see one new picture of Rosario wearing pantyhose since the many I had filed away during the past few years. That makes me wonder whether she ultimately gave in to the pressure from other bear-legged celebrities. That would be such a shame.

Grizz: Now, listen: I’ve given up some good leads for those who deserve consideration for your Credit “wear” Credit is Due feature. That, and because you stole my signature client away from me, it’s time for a little quid pro quo here. I want the name of the celebrity you feel is the most devoted bare-legger, the one you hate the most, to replace SJP as my signature client. C’mon, give it up. Who’s my next recipient of the prestigious Grizzly Awards?

Rob: OK, sure, that’s fair. Here’s a hint for you: Her first name is the same as the main character on that show that is generally credited with starting the bear-legs movement.

Rob: Yeah, I really hate that bimbo. How unprofessional of her to perform the Sunday Night Football theme song in bear legs and cowboy boots in back-to-back seasons. And, in every appearance she makes on other shows I’ve seen, she does the whole bear legs thing. That one has zero class. You can have her and keep her. And please eat her, too. I don’t ever want to have to look at those pasty white bony legs of hers again.

Grizz: OK, done. By the way, I will say this: You’ve definitely nailed the one young celeb who really deserves all the praise you’ve heaped upon her and the huge amount of love for how devoted to pantyhose she is.

Rob: Oh, I know who you’re talking about — Ariana

Grizz: Grande. Yes, l can foresee her causing me all kinds of trouble in my efforts to recruit future bare-leggers. She is a gem in your camp. How can a girl that young have so much professionalism, class, grace and femininity during a time when your young people prefer to dress like homeless people? Does she have stock in your company? Be honest, you’ve bought her, right?

Rob: Haaaaa, I would have, but no, she’s done this completely on her own. I’m as amazed as you are. She certainly appears to be the real deal, and I hope she stays that way because right now, she’s one in a million. I know pantyhose lovers everywhere appreciate Ariana for her devotion to wearing sheer pantyhose, not only on stage, but at publicity functions, most often at awards shows, and even just out and about. She is setting such a good example for her young fans, and like Kate Middleton, Ariana, might some day be credited with helping pantyhose make a comeback. Yes, she is almost too good to be true.

Grizz: Exactly, too good to be true. So enjoy her while you can.

Rob: Wait. What do you mean by that?

Grizz: Oh you know as well as I do that good things like her don’t last forever. You’ll see. Whatever it is that causes her to dress so nicely and wear sheer pantyhose is likely to change some day, and then I will be there to scoop her up. She’ll be my new prized client.

Rob: Now that would be a real shame. I hope you’re wrong. OK, now here’s one more thing I’ve been dying to ask you about. Hope you’re ready because this one hits close to home.

Grizz: Fire away …

Rob: What’s with so many celebs, professional models and even everyday ladies from all over the world wearing pantyhose while hobnobbing with bears? I would have thought you’d forbid “beardom” (love that word) from partaking in such debauchery. Yet, it’s out there. Some very beautiful ladies wearing pantyhose while snuggling with bears.

Grizz: Oh, sure, throw that in my face.

Rob: Warned ya.

Grizz: I’ll have to see it to believe it.

Rob: You will when you see my finished piece. I think you’ll find it disturbing, this trend of beautiful models and other celebs getting all lovey dovey with bears.

Grizz: I’ll tell you right now, those must be rogue bears who are not part of the union. I can’t be held accountable for their actions.

Rob: Well, I like the pics because they bring closer those who should be enemies. Kind of like you and me, Grizz.

Grizz: Don’t push it, Rob. I haven’t eaten yet and I’m as hungry as a bear.

And with that, the interview ended and Grizz walked me out, stopping in the family room this time where he proudly showed off his family portrait.

And don’t think I didn’t notice all the other bear memorabilia in the room where Grizz’s cubs play, including the Goldilocks and the Three Bears dolls, the books, and all the Chicago Bears fan stuff.

In any case, what I had feared would be an uncomfortable meeting turned out to be anything but. The Grizzly was professional and classy. He was even cute and charming. I left feeling like I’d made a new friend. But I ain’t going out to eat with him. That’s for sure.

As I was getting in the limo to return to my office, I thought of my best question, so I blurted out:

“Hey, Grizz. If bears have had it so bad for so long, how are you able to live in a great house like this and have a limo driver at your disposal?”

“When it’s important to maintain a big image these days, one must diversify,” he said. “That’s why I invented these a long time ago.”

Gummy Bears! Wouldn’t you just know it? And I had been feeling sorry for Grizz. Looks like he’s in the game for the long haul, just like me. And that’s a good thing. We are good for one another.

My thanks to J. Aton of ATON DIGITAL STUDIOS for his original artwork for ActSensuous. Check out J. Aton’s artist website and online portfolio atwww.atondigitalstudios.com

Pantyhose babes hobnobbing with bears

The late Elizabeth Montgomery, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Samantha Stevens in the 1960s TV sitcom, “Bewitched,” was friendly with at least one bear.

Unidentified young lady wearing pantyhose teases bear

Unidentified young lady in pantyhose lounges with her bear

Unidentified young lady wearing pantyhose smooches her bear

Unidentified bear lover wearing pantyhose gives a bear hug

Unidentified performer in sheer pantyhose tames a bear

Chinese star Lin Xiao Nuo is content in the company of bears

Korean professional model Lee Eun Hye holds her bear closely

Korean Professional model Lee Eun Hye cozies up to a bear

Korean professional model So Yeon Yang hugs her bear

Korean professional model Jung Jung Ah plays with her bear

Korean professional model Im So Yeon loves on her bear

Im So Yeon snuggles with her bear

Im So Yeon lies with her happy bear

Im So Yeon pouts with her bear

A bear takes a back seat to Korean professional model Han Ga Eun. Anyone would.

Longtime readers here know when it comes to the subject of pantyhose, I am always right. About everything really.

When ActSensuous was born in 2001, it was I who — on our first website — coined the phrases “bare-legs movement” and “bare-legs culture.” (Of course, in 2009 when this blog launched, I changed the bare to “bear” and you all know why.)

Also on our first website, I blamed actress Sarah Jessica Parker in her role as Carrie Bradshaw in the “Sex and the City” TV series (and later, movies) for starting the whole bear-legs movement.

Ever since, she has stood as the bear legs villain of all time.

Besides on our website, I’ve also vilified SJP in this blog.

Then, one of our longtime readers and most prolific commenters, Brian W., in August 2013, made this comment:

I mentioned in one of my previous comments about Candace Bushnell, the newspaper columnist and author of the novel “Sex and the City” that would later be adapted into a TV and movie series. Candace goes bare legged for all seasons after receiving advice from a gay fashion expert telling her that “No woman should wear pantyhose, especially in the winter.” That is why the Carrie Bradshaw character is based on Ms. Bushnell’s personal experiences, and going bare-legged is one of them.

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker arrives for a ceremony hosted by ActSensuous last month.

That comment got me thinking that, perhaps, I was wrong (this one time only) and Sarah Jessica Parker wasn’t the real bad guy in the bear-legs movement.

Then, I thought Naaaaaah, SJP has to be the villain, as she always has been the face (OK, the legs, actually) of the very bear-legs culture itself.

Still, in addition to Brian W.’s comment in 2013, I had been noticing more and more pictures of SJP wearing pantyhose in movies, at movie premieres, media appearances, publicity events, and often, even when she’s out and about.

What? How could this be?

After seeing so many pics of SJP in pantyhose, coupled with the facts from Brian W.’s comment about Bushnell, I realized that I really was wrong, and SJP had been wrongly accused by me.

After all, SJP made an appearance during a Chanel event in August 2011 wearing a pair of the high-end clothing, handbags and accessories retailer’s pantyhose, which sold for $250. Seriously, $250. I mean, who does that?

Yes, it was time for me to open my eyes and my mind, and take notice of the former SATC star.

So, a couple of weeks ago, to make up for my having falsely accused her of starting the bear-legs movement, ActSensuous invited SJP to a special function, which she cheerfully accepted.

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker shows off her ActSensuous Credit ‘wear’ Credit is Due trophy last month in Indialantic, Fla.

Thus, in the headline of this post: Credit ‘wear’ Credit is Due — You won’t believe who, the “who” is one Sarah Jessica Parker.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking:

Has Robin lost her mind? Was she paid off? Did I log on to the wrong blog?

Let me assure you, readers … all is well and good.

It’s just that in doing my research for this post, I found way more pictures of SJP wearing pantyhose than many other celebs who’ve been praised several times in this blog by me, and also by some of you in your comments.

In fact, the more I investigated, the further I became convinced that SJP is not the villain I’d been making her out to be since 2001.

Trophy in hand, Sarah Jessica Parker smiles at ActSensuous staff members and a cheering audience as she walks off the stage.

And in graciously accepting the ActSensuous invitation to be honored in this blog, SJP didn’t disappoint, always arriving in style at the Space Coast Imperial Palace .

And during the three-day celebration, SJP always showed up in fabulous outfits, complemented by some awesome high heels, and showing off a few different styles of pantyhose.

As amazing as SJP looks in pantyhose, it’s a mystery to me why she ever would want to be seen bear-legged again.

Seeing SJP in beautiful outfits and pantyhose during the 3-day award ceremony, only reinforced in my mind what I had been seeing the past few years.

Actresses Sarah Jessica Parker, left, and Christina Hendricks on the way to a meeting in the movie, “I Don’t Know How She Does It.”

One of the movies in which she starred, “I Don’t Know How She Does It” (2011), was not only a cute story, but it featured SJP as a corporate executive who has to learn how to juggle her rise to the top at a financial management company along with her family responsibilities.

As the movie was set in Boston during the winter months, and mostly, because SJP played a corporate exec, it was fitting that she always wore skirts or skirt suits, heels and pantyhose. And not just pantyhose, but often sheer nude pantyhose.

This made the movie and SJP’s character more realistic, and that isn’t always the case in motion pictures of this kind.

SJP and Olivia Munn during a scene from the 2011 movie, “I Don’t Know How She Does it,” walk down Wall Street in New York.

By the way, as a side note, Olivia Munn played a junior associate at the firm, and she dressed in proper business attire, as well. And while it’s not that unusual to see Olivia Munn in pantyhose (at publicity events and often just out and about these days), it was absolutely wonderful to see her (finally) wearing sheer nude pantyhose.

Here’s the thing (and I’ve said this … what, about a thousand times regarding different celebs?): When Olivia goes back and watches “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” and sees herself looking as amazing as she did in sheer nude pantyhose, why wouldn’t she want to dress this way all the time? Or, at least, more often.

Am I right, people? Are you hearing me out there? Look at those gorgeous gams on Olivia Munn.

Back to the ActSensuous award ceremony: Don’t think for a minute that the three days were all just fun and games.

After all, SJP had always been the signature client of the Grizzly, yet, here she was receiving the ActSensuous Credit “wear” Credit is Due award.

You remember the Grizzly. He held his own celebration a while back, handing out the inaugural Grizzly Award to that total “fashion” witch, Stacy London, of “What Not to Wear.” Now London definitely is the most deserving recipient of the Grizzly Award.

You’re with me on this, right readers?

Still, it was SJP who put the Grizzly on the map, and he wasn’t about to let her go so easily.

SJP’s moment on the red carpet is interrupted by the Grizzly during the ActSensuous award ceremony for her last month.

It appears our security was not up to snuff because the Grizzly crashed the event, trying to talk SJP into staying in his camp.

He greeted her on the red carpet with a bottle of what looked to be some very fine Champagne.

I almost felt sorry for the Grizzly, as he was rebuked by SJP on the red carpet, surrounded by a horde of paparazzi and adoring onlookers.

But the Grizzly is not discouraged so easily.

He wasn’t about to let his most famous and best client go, without trying every trick in the book to woo her back.

The Grizzly tries to tempt SJP backstage with flowers and a box of chocolates

And, somehow, the Grizzly was able to sneak backstage the next day, where he tried to entice SJP with flowers and a box of Godiva chocolates.

Fittingly for the occasion, he even wore a tuxedo.

We’ve gotta give the Grizzly props for his creativity and style in going all-out in his efforts to win back his best client.

He certainly won some points with SJP for that backstage maneuver, yet, she once again found a way to resist the Grizzly’s advances.

Apparently, she was now enjoying her new-found attention and appreciation for being a more pantyhose-friendly celebrity.

Finally, in a last-ditch effort, the Grizzly pulled out all the stops.

Several days after the ActSensuous award ceremony, while SJP was back home relaxing, the Grizzly did the unthinkable:

He showed up at the star’s estate home.

SJP had shunned all the Grizzly’s attempts to woo her back.

It had been a long partnership between her and the bear, and it couldn’t have been easy for her to keep turning him down.

Nevertheless, SJP was convicted about wearing pantyhose and finally putting the distinction of being the Grizzly’s signature client behind her.

So, taking a page from the 1989 John Cusack movie, “Say Anything,” the Grizzly parked himself on SJP’s and Matthew Broderick’s property, and facing her bedroom window, played the song “Baby Come Back” from the band, Player in 1977.

You know the lyrics: “Baby, come back. You can blame it all on me. I was wrong and I just can’t live without you.”

The Grizzly was desperate to salvage his Number One and favorite client, and he’d stop at nothing to keep Sarah Jessica Parker.

Take heart, Grizzly, you might have lost SJP, but there are plenty of other suspects you could go after.

One such candidate is Candace Bushnell.

This former columnist for The New York Observer, and current novelist and television producer who authored SATC, is more to blame for the bear-legs movement than SJP ever was.

I wear bare legs most of the year,” Bushnell said during an interview with The Mirror, an online tabloid. “It’s kind of a fashion thing. A New York designer decreed that women should never wear pantyhose, not even in winter. They’re just not sexy. I just shave my legs.

She “wears” bare legs? More like she wears a bear’s legs. “It’s kind of a fashion thing?” And pantyhose are “just not sexy?” OK, does Bushnell sound like a prolific novelist and TV producer to you? I think she’s easily influenced. She’s certainly confused.

At least 90 percent of the male population and millions of females throughout the world (such as me) think pantyhose are the sexiest thing a woman could ever wear.

Oh, and shaving one’s legs ain’t exactly some closely-guarded secret known only to celebrities, Bushnell. And, if you think just shaving will make your legs look sexy, uh, yeah … that’s not going to happen for you.

Candace Bushnell appears during a CW Network event in 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Still, she might never have been much of a pantyhose wearer in the first place. In a Google search, I could find only two pictures of her in pantyhose. In the photo at left, Bushnell actually showed up dressed like this to a television station’s event. Real professional, Bushnell.

How is an accomplished author and a television producer so easily influenced about how to dress by a gay fashion designer?

But that is exactly what happened. Once, when asked during an online interview about the best fashion advice she ever received, Bushnell said:

“Isaac Mizrahi once told me that a lady never, ever wears pantyhose. Even if it’s snowing and 20 degrees outside.”

Wait, THAT was the best fashion advice Bushnell ever received? And it made sense to her?

Now I say instead of being the next client for the Grizzly, I think she should be eaten by the Grizzly.

Yes, it was Bushnell who wrote the SATC TV series, which aired from 1998 to 2004, featuring high-society women in New York City who wear the fashions of the day, including fabulous heels, but sans the pantyhose. That show spearheaded the launch of the bear-legs movement.

So, indeed, the Grizzly has a couple of candidates for new clients, but SJP no longer should be considered one of them.

And, it’s appearing more and more obvious that the next Grizzly Award should go to Bushnell or Field, or both.

Now, is SJP still going to disappoint us by showing up bear-legged on talk shows, at movie premieres, public appearances and even while she’s just out and about?

Yeah, more than likely. OK, definitely.

Then again, there isn’t a single celebrity, even the ones who can be considered devoted pantyhose wearers, who don’t do that at one time or another.

In any case, Sarah Jessica Parker wears pantyhose of her own volition, and frequently enough that she no longer should be considered the ambassador of the bear-legs culture. Certainly, she’s not the cause of it.

And while this saddens the Grizzly, the bottom line is I was the one who blamed SJP for the bear-legs movement, I was wrong, and so I’ve corrected the mistake.

Welcome to the good side, SJP.

Sorry, Grizz.

Note: My thanks to professional graphic artist David Joseph (whose wife, Sheri, is an ActSensuous customer) for his awesome artwork for this blog post. I provided the ideas and the raw pictures, and David expertly turned my vision into reality.

David also designed the current ActSensuous website and the beautiful packaging for our Act IV pantyhose.

Note II: My thanks, also, to Mark Johnson, a professional graphic artist and a corporate attorney (and an ActSensuous fan) for the very first picture of the Grizzly in the John Cusack pose from the 1989 movie, “Say Anything.”

I first delivered (July 2014) the Cusack photo and a grizzly bear picture to Mark, along with my vision for this post. It took some doing, but the resulting artwork (above) was the very key to my writing this post.

Thank you, Mark, wherever you are now.

Below, you’ll find more pictures of Sarah Jessica Parker wearing pantyhose throughout the past few decades, and at various venues. Enjoy!

Since the “bear” legs movement first reared its ugly head (and legs) during the mid-to-late 1990s, women throughout America have been trying to permanently “run” pantyhose out of town.

(If you’re new here and wonder about my use of the word, “bear” instead of bare, please see my explanation in the About Me section.)

But during all this time, the fashion accessory — once the staple of female professionalism, class, glamour, femininity and just plain good taste — has showed a remarkable resilience that would belie its otherwise delicate nature.

Launch an Internet search for pantyhose and you can see that not only are nylons still relevant today, but, in fact, they appear to be growing more and more popular every day. There must be thousands of websites devoted to women wearing pantyhose, and the men who love them.

And if you want to see celebrities from every corner of the planet wearing pantyhose, there are hundreds of websites, featuring millions of pictures devoted to that subject. In fact, it is more difficult to find a celebrity today who isn’t wearing pantyhose in at least a few pictures. Seeing this, one might actually think there never was a bear legs movement.

In this blog, my column, Credit “Wear” Credit is Due, has glorified many celebs who could be considered devoted pantyhose wearers. But here’s the thing: Each one I’ve praised has let me down one time or another, going bear-legged during appearances that I would have thought were the perfect venues for wearing pantyhose.

One exception is actress Jessica Alba (left), who never stopped being classy, elegant and professional enough to always wear sheer pantyhose even during the heyday of the bear legs movement.

Of course, there are some celebs, such as Sofia Vergara, Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, and Zooey Deschanel, who are consistent pantyhose wearers; and some who are very frequent wearers even just out-and-about (Paris Hilton comes to mind). Nevertheless, the vast majority of celebs, including most of the aforementioned, more often than not, appear bear-legged on late night talk shows and awards ceremonies.

Similarly, there are many veteran singers/dancers who almost always wear pantyhose on stage (Madonna, Cher, Beyonce’, Jennifer Lopez), just as there are many young, rising stars (Katy Perry, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande) whom we’ve come to expect to see in pantyhose during such events.

Trendsetter: Ariana Grande in her signature sheer suntan pantyhose and high heels greets young adoring fans before performing recently in New York City.

And among that group, I’ve observed that Ariana Grande is the most dedicated pantyhose-wearer. And, as she is only 20 years old, I could not be more impressed with her. And grateful to her.

And I love her for being a shining example for her legion of young fans in always dressing beautifully, including wearing sheer suntan pantyhose.

From this, we can conclude that these performers are professional (and maybe classy) enough to wear pantyhose on stage, realizing their legs look better under the lights.

First snag

So how in the world do some of these superstars show up to receive awards, such as during Sunday night’s American Music Awards (AMA) presentation, wearing gorgeous gowns and stilettos, yet, with bear legs?

I don’t get it. These stars mostly are consistent pantyhose wearers when performing concerts and often when making publicity appearances (Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Rihanna), then, on what should be the most special night of their careers — a night where they are recognized for their achievements among their peers, and before a national television audience — they almost to a woman, attend bear-legged.

Here’s what I don’t understand: They seem to recognize that this special night calls for the most expensive designer dresses, fabulous jewelry and amazing shoes. But pantyhose? Nah!

I present this as the first snag in the comeback of pantyhose because for all the steps forward we take when celebs wear during performances, it’s like a huge step backward when all of them gather on one stage at one time for such a significant event, and practically no one wears.

Incidentally, I didn’t watch the AMAs. Instead, I was watching Sunday Night Football and recording The Good Wife. So on commercials, I’d check in on the AMAs. I was happy for Taylor Swift, winning awards for Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Country Female Artist, and Favorite Country Album.

Not too swift: Singer Taylor Swift showed a lot of “bear” leg during the 2013 American Music Awards Sunday in Los Angeles, Calif.

Taylor is one of the young stars who more often than not wears sheer nude pantyhose on stage, and frequently wears when she’s out-and-about.

I couldn’t wait to see what she’d wear during the AMAs. Then, I saw. Her dress wasn’t all that fancy, but it was nice. And it was super short. And I liked her high heel dress sandals.

But how could she not wear pantyhose with this outfit, for this event?

Similarly, Rihanna is extremely likely to wear pantyhose on stage with all kinds of outfits from elegant to exotic to what-the- what?

And, she’s frequently seen wearing pantyhose during public appearances.

Like Taylor, I fully expected to see Rihanna (Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist award) standing out from the herd (all disrespect fully intended) during the AMAs. However, she didn’t wear.

Beyond her years: Singer Ariana Grande was the most elegantly dressed artist at the American Music Awards.

Then, there was my new fave, Ariana Grande, who wore the most beautiful and elegant gown of any of them.

It was floor length, but when she climbed the steps up to the stage to accept the “New Artist of the Year” award, I noticed she indeed was wearing her trademark sheer suntan pantyhose.

I am so happy that Ariana won New Artist of the Year.

I also happened to check in on the AMAs in time to see Lady Gaga’s performance of “Do what you want with my body,” and that’s about all I want to say on that subject. Other than that I think that song and performance was just another example of the all-too-many-just-like-it songs/videos that glamorize a lack of values in society today.

The only reason I bring up the performance at all is because Lady Gaga did wear her signature nude fishnet pantyhose with her outfit. Since I’m complaining that almost no one did Sunday night, I have to point out that Lady Gaga did. Nuff said about her, though.

Flying high: Singer/actress Jennifer Lopez, who typically wear pantyhose on stage, stole the show during the AMAs with a high-energy Salsa performance.

What I loved was the performance I happened to catch by Jennifer Lopez. Now, J Lo knows how to put on a show, belting out some great vocals and high-energy salsa dance moves in three different outfits (all accessorized with suntan fishnet pantyhose).

Second snag

In addition to celebs opting for bear legs during awards shows and other venues, those dreaded so-called fashion experts still are waging war on pantyhose. Granted, we don’t hear as much from them today as we did during the late 1990s through most of the decade of 2000. But they’re still out there.

Of course, I never read fashion magazines or websites, and I couldn’t care less what their so-called experts think, but when I noticed last month a picture of one of my favorite actresses wearing a cute outfit, I clicked on it, only to be taken to an online fashion site, which I found was actually putting her down.

She is an extremely popular model and actress throughout the world. Her first English speaking role came in the movie, The Transporter, in which she co-starred (very delightfully) with English actor Jason Statham.

Qi (her given name, pronounced Chee) is adorable and extremely professional and classy, almost always appearing in pantyhose on stage and during publicity appearances.

But the online website RCFA (Red Carpet Fashion Awards) last month slammed Qi for wearing nude tights with her outfit during an appearance at a Jimmy Choo accessories store opening ceremony in Hong Kong.

The author of RCFA, Catherine Kallon, wrote:

The actress’ Jimmy Choo accessories included a crystal-accented ‘Charlize’ clutch and ‘Anouk’ pointy pumps as expected; however, the same can’t be said for her dress.

On this occasion, the usually conservative star wore a Calla Spring 2013 printed frock with a gauze sheer insert at the waist.

It’s a cute, fun, flirty look, but the dress doesn’t sit as well as it does on the model … I could’ve overlooked most of the flaws to give Shu a pass for stepping outside the box, but why oh why is she wearing nude tights? (Robin’s note: I added the bold to highlight my point.)

And what’s up with the Paris Hilton pose?”

Not even close: A model, left, and Taiwanese actress Shu Qi wear the same outfit, but Qi rocks it in sheer tights.

Wait a minute. Kallon thinks the outfit looks better on the model in the pic on the left? Really? Uh … I don’t think so. First, she looks like a refugee from a third world country. (Please … someone give that girl a cheeseburger.) How did she even get a job as a model? Second, I’d like to kick Kallon’s you know what. OK, OK, I’m not really like that, but …

I think Qi looked adorable in this outfit, and even though I’m not a fan of shiny tights (as my love is for sheer nude pantyhose), Qi absolutely rocked in them.

Legs, legs, legs: Shu Qi (front, center) most often can be seen in sheer nude pantyhose in movies, including ‘Gone with the bullets,’ an offbeat love story set in China.

Fortunately, Qi almost always can be seen in sheer nude pantyhose in the many movies she’s starred in, whether romantic comedies, action or dramas.

And, another thing: While Shu Qi typically does dress professionally, elegantly and beautifully, I wouldn’t call it “conservatively,” as Kallon does. Certainly, I love that Qi has the class and good taste to most-often wear sheer pantyhose, but if Kallon and her readers think the tights she wore at Jimmy Choo’s were an eyesore, they really haven’t seen anything.

Qi has been known to wear some pretty exotic-looking pantyhose and tights during publicity events, as you’ll see later in this post.

Besides, Kallon’s stupid remarks, her post generated 23 comments, one of which was:

The dress is too young, cutesy and girly for her and sits awkwardly on her to begin with, a very wrong choice for her, the nude tights are an eyesore and bring the look down completely.

OK, I really do want to kick Nat39’s a$$. Oh, and Nat, know what a run-on sentence is? You’ve got about three sentences all rolled into one there. Hey, good job with that. And, I think we all can tell what Nat’s gender preference is.

Worse, it seemed (I’m not sure because I stopped reading, as my blood pressure was starting to soar) that all 23 comments were in support of Kallon’s opinion.

Well, I can live with an idiot “fashion expert” dissing a lovely celebrity once, but recently, I stumbled across another post by Kallon (written last year) this time, putting down Megan Fox. Seriously, Megan Fox?

Kallon posted this pic of a model wearing an outfit she liked, and contrasted it with the same look on Megan Fox, disapproving because Megan wore it with pantyhose.

No comparison: Online fashion magazine editor thinks the bear-legged model on the left looks better in this outfit than Megan Fox, who had the class and elegance to wear it with pantyhose.

OK, you decide: Who looks better, the model or Megan?

Here’s what Kallon wrote:

Getting up for the 5am Golden Globe Awards nominations announcement this morning would’ve been easy for Megan Fox, considering she’s probably used to being up at that ungodly hour with her newborn.

… Megan also opted for a lady-like look. Clearly the new mum is putting her sassy days behind her.

She wore a beautiful floral Giambattista Valli Resort 2013 dress with an ivory top and moss-green skirt which she styled with nude platform Louboutins.

This is a great look for Megan. I couldn’t be more envious of her hair, but those nude fishnet tights are jarring.” (Note: Again, I added the bold to highlight my point.)

Much maligned: While Jennifer Hudson’s ensemble was questionable, at least, she had the class to wear it with sheer pantyhose.

In this case, The Fashionable Teacher didn’t like an outfit Jennifer Hudson (left) wore to a movie premiere in April of this year.

Here’s what mochababe73 wrote:

“Jennifer Hudson really stood out from the crowd.

“And, not in a good way. This Emmanuel Ungaro dress was really, really busy. The animal print and polka dots have no business being in the same dress, and it’s wrong on so many levels. The two prints together are just and assault to the eyes.

On top of that, the white cuffs, gold details, and visible bra just add to the carnage.

“Love the Saint Laurent shoes, but what’s with the pantyhose?” (Note: Well, you get it by now …)

Way of the bear: This must be the Jennifer Hudson look (above) that RCFA prefers. Actually, Hudson looks great in this photo, but those bear legs certainly would benefit from a pair of sheer pantyhose.

Well, for starters, they represent professionalism and class, mochababe73. And, like makeup, pantyhose greatly beautify the look of a woman’s legs, mochababe73.

Great, another “fashion expert” who knocks a celebrity for having the good sense and class to wear pantyhose with her outfit.

Actually, I don’t disagree with what the “fashion expert” said about the ensemble. That was a really strange-looking outfit. I disagree only with her nasty comment about the pantyhose Jennifer wore.

I decided to look for other photos of Jennifer Hudson wearing pantyhose. Unfortunately, I found only two.

Of course I don’t think that the negative comments of mochababe73 on her website influenced Jennifer to not wear pantyhose.

Nice shoes, but the “bear” feet and ankles hurt the look.How could anyone object to pantyhose with these shoes?

I do think it’s a shame that those who don’t have professionalism or class, use their forum as “fashion experts” to criticize celebs who do.

I suppose the pic of Jennifer (above, right) in the red dress with bear legs represents the look that mochababe73 finds more appropriate?

In any case, here is the author’s profile:

mochababe73

Houston, TX baby!

I am a wife and mother. I am a teacher. And, I am one wife, mother, and teacher who devours fashion. My fashion magazine collection is insane.

Hey, mochababe73, you’re a teacher? Shouldn’t you end that last part of your tagline (way up above at the start of the whole Jennifer Hudson bit) with a question mark, not a period? You have: Are you an A+ or a Fashion Fail. It should read: Are you an A+ or a Fashion Fail?

Unbelievable.

More ‘expert’ advice

Finally, it would amaze me if anyone really listens to these so-called fashion experts. I am always amused when I see an online post from a woman asking for advice about what she should or shouldn’t wear to a function.

A frequent question is “Can I wear pantyhose with open-toe dress shoes?” And all the “experts” jump on that one like vultures on road pizza. Naturally, they all attempt to talk women out of committing such a fashion no-no, and I always love how NO ONE ever follows their advice.

It remains one of the dumbest things these “fashion experts” wax on about.

Fortunately, no one’s listening.

Look at this picture of beautiful Chinese actress Cecilia Cheung (right). What could possibly be wrong with her wearing sheer pantyhose with these peep-toe heels? She has perfect toes that look all the more gorgeous under those deliciously sheer nylons.

Perhaps, there will always be a few snags that slightly delay the return of pantyhose to favor.

Still, it is so wonderful that we see cases every day in which celebrities and everyday women throughout the world choose the class, elegance and femininity that comes with wearing pantyhose.

Now, here are some of my favorite pics of Shu Qi wearing a wide variety of pantyhose and tights styles:

If the “bear” legs movement won the decade of the new millennium, pantyhose certainly got their legs back in 2011.

(NOTE: I’m putting quotes around “bear” just once and then running with it as-is. Seasoned readers get my play on words, which have their origin in one of my earlier posts: “Why Bears Don’t Wear Pantyhose.”)

No, I’m not proclaiming that everything’s back to normal; far from it. But I think greater strides were made in 2011 than at any time from 2000 on.

I do think 2011 gave us much for which to be thankful, and optimism for years to come. While things looked pretty bleak from 2000 through 2010, I am thrilled by the number of new and seasoned celebrities we saw wearing pantyhose in 2011.

In movies, on TV shows, in TV commercials, on singers/performers taking the stage, on game shows, across fashion runways, in magazines, and practically everywhere we looked in the community, we saw more pantyhose in 2011 than I think we saw in the previous 10 years. And if you want to see beautiful women in pantyhose, just do a google search, and you’ll find that pantyhose are indeed alive and well.

Pantyhose took us by storm in the late-1960s, absolutely ruled in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and enjoyed a good run through most of the ‘90s before “Sex and the City” reared its ugly head in 1998.

In the role that made her famous, actress Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke on the TV show, “The Dukes of Hazzard,” made sheer pantyhose famous.

And, in the ’70s, no one did more for pantyhose than actress Catherine Bach in her role as Daisy Duke on the TV show, “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Bach took sheer pantyhose to icon status, wearing them with her signature short-shorts and heels on the show.

It’s difficult to imagine how and why so many women in the world would try so hard to distance themselves from the look made famous by Bach.

Looking at this picture of Catherine Bach, I can’t see how anyone could believe that pantyhose are old-fashioned and irrelevant in society today. A look of sheer beauty and the truest sense of femininity is never irrelevant, and it never goes out of style.

I honestly didn’t believe the bear legs culture would catch on, and I never dreamed it would flourish, almost to the demise of pantyhose.

It has taken a great deal longer than I imagined, but women have begun coming to their senses again. That was clear in 2010, and never more evident than during 2011.

Still, through the darkest times of the 2000 decade, I was so pleased and encouraged by the vast number of men throughout the world voicing their displeasure over the bear legs movement. There are thousands of pantyhose forums, websites and blogs about the love and devotion that (at least) men feel for pantyhose.

I still can’t believe that so many women don’t seem to care that seemingly 99 percent of the male population loves them in pantyhose. The fact that women almost universally reject the beauty, femininity, class, elegance, and sensual characteristics inherent in pantyhose remains a complete mystery to me.

I should acknowledge that, along the way, there have been many women who never bought into the bear legs culture. Occasionally, I read on an online forum about a woman or two who, like me, just don’t get the hostility other women have toward pantyhose. It is so heartwarming and encouraging to read the words of some women who say they love pantyhose, and the attention and appreciation they get from wearing pantyhose for men who love it so much. We can’t know about these everyday women on a large scale, so unfortunately, I cannot give them the praise they deserve. Still, we know they’re out there, so if you’re reading, thank you for remaining professional at the office, classy about town and always feminine in all situations.

Similarly, I’ve been delighted and encouraged by all the support from readers of The ActSensuous Blog this year. I greatly appreciate all your comments, compliments and well wishes. So, in addition to my usual ranting and raving about celebs and the state of the pantyhose industry, in this year-in-review post, I want to share with you some things you might find interesting – the stuff you guys contribute.

Your comments

You guys write some well-conceived and thought-provoking comments. You have a real understanding of what’s going on in the world of pantyhose. You know the celebs who are devoted wearers, and you know the ones who aren’t. In many of your comments, you attach links to pictures, videos and online articles about pantyhose.

I love it when you write about a colleague at work who routinely wears, or doesn’t. I love when you write about your most memorable pantyhose experiences and the affects they had on you.

And, of course, I appreciate all the nice things you write about my different posts. I couldn’t do this if I didn’t think you cared and appreciated it. So thank you for all your support.

In case you ever wondered, most of those who comment on my blog are not ActSensuous customers. Sometimes, it’s a bit embarrassing when a customer writes a comment and closes with how much he loves our products and our customer service. I’m not asking for that, but it’s always nice to read the positive feedback, and I am sure it’s good for business. So, to those customers/readers, I’ll say this: That’s not what the blog is about, you don’t have to endorse us in your comments, but I know it comes from the heart, and I do appreciate very much your good intentions.

One reader complimented me a long time ago for keeping the blog separate from the business. I never expected anyone to notice or care about that, but I always appreciated that this guy got it and pointed it out. In fact, of the 48 (before this one) posts I’ve written since May 2009, only one was blatantly about ActSensuous – the one on April 25, 2011, called “Return of Pantyhose TV ads a Good Sign.” In it, I shared my vision (OK, fantasy) of having a celebrity become the official spokesmodel for ActSensuous. I wrote about the celebs I’d choose if I could. That post was pretty popular and got some good comments, but I really thought it would get more response from you, telling me which celeb you thought would be perfect to represent ActSensuous.

And that leads me to this:

The polls

I thought polls would be a good way to be heard for those who don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment on a blog post. What could be more anonymous than that? Even I don’t know who clicks an answer on a poll on my blog. Yet, the response numbers seem low to me.

To those who have voted on my various polls, I thank you. Your answers to the poll questions – your voice – give me an insight as to what you think about the state of pantyhose in society today. To demonstrate that point, I’ll share with you the results of some of those polls, starting with:

“Which celebrity would be perfect to represent ActSensuous?”

Following her breakout role in the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada,” Anne Hathaway has maintained a classy and feminine look, including wearing pantyhose for all the right occasions and venues.

Of the 50 votes this poll generated, Anne Hathaway garnered 14 (30%). To put that in perspective, the next highest vote-getter was Milla Jovovich with 9 (20%).

I was not surprised you chose Anne Hathaway. I love that, even though she is so young, she gets it. While probably every celeb has her days when she just isn’t going to wear for any occasion, Anne is pretty consistent. She has the maturity, the class and sense of femininity to wear for all the right reasons and at the right venues. I believe Anne has a bright future as a Hollywood star, and I’d be proud to have her represent ActSensuous.

Of course I love Milla Jovovich. She is beautiful, extremely professional, ultra classy and just plain cool. She is a great actress, and if the truth were known, I’d choose her if I could.

Of the others, I love Bai Ling, Nicole Kidman, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, and I would be thrilled if any of them would even consider being the face (legs) of a pantyhose campaign, but that seems rather remote to me.

Christie Brinkley

Now, Christie Brinkley as the official spokesmodel for ActSensuous ….. that seems pretty realistic and very appealing to me. I’ve always liked Christie. She’s always been extremely professional, very classy and ultra feminine.

Those are some incredible legs, and she certainly understands the appeal of sheer pantyhose.

I would have thought the same thing about Morena Baccarin, but even though she can always be counted on to wear sheer pantyhose with her outfits in TV series (“The Visitors” and “Homeland”), I’ve never seen her wear during visits on late night talk shows. I find that so frustrating because it kills my image of her. I want to believe she is what I see in her TV roles, but have to face the reality that when she’s on her own time, she chooses not to wear. That amazes me because she looks 100 times better in pantyhose. Then again, isn’t that true of all of them?

“Which Celebrity do you most want to see in pantyhose?”

Sandra Bullock performs a scene in her new movie, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” in Brooklyn.

It goes to show the popularity of the veteran action, dramatic and comedic actress among the ranks of pantyhose lovers.

Why not? Sandra always has had the professionalism and class to wear pantyhose for the right occasions.

I would have liked to see Michelle Yeoh, Bai Ling and Lucy Liu score higher, but they do in the next poll.

“Which Asian actress do you most want to see wearing pantyhose?”

The lovely and multi-talented Asian-American actress Lucy Liu sometimes wears pantyhose during public appearances, and when she does, she looks fabulous.

Out of 34 total votes (only 34 – what’s wrong with you people?), Lucy Liu won with 13 votes (38%).

Very impressive, as she beat out whom I think is the world’s most gorgeous woman, Zhang Ziyi, who came in second with 8 votes (24%).

This poll was won because of the popularity/familiarity of Lucy Liu. I mean who doesn’t love her?

Ironically, from what I’ve observed, Ziyi is a much more prolific wearer of pantyhose than Lucy will ever be.

In fact, as much as I adore Lucy Liu, she breaks my heart by doing the bear legs thing much more often than wearing pantyhose.

Further, it seems the rare occasion on which we see Lucy Liu in pantyhose, she’s wearing the thick, black ones. Yet, to behold her in sheer nude pantyhose is a breathtakingly beautiful sight. At least the black pantyhose she’s wearing in this photo are fairly sheer.

Zhang Ziyi (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” Rush Hour 2”) is only just becoming known to Western audiences, and since she lives in China, she’s not quite the household name Lucy Liu is.

Besides Zhang Ziyi, I next most want to see Michelle Yeoh in pantyhose. I still love her more than any other Asian actress, and she is simply awesome in pantyhose, although, sadly, that’s a rare sight these days.

It’s so frustrating that Maggie Q doesn’t wear pantyhose on her hit show, “Nikita,” (or any other thing I’ve ever seen her in.) There was a time (early 1990s) when Tia Carrere (“Wayne’s World,” “High School High,” “True Lies”) was the most beautiful thing that pantyhose ever happened to, but those days appear to be long gone. I would guess most of you have no clue as to who Karen Mok is (“Black Mask” and “So Close”), but someday I’ll do a whole post about her.

Young model/actress Devon Aoki (“Debs” is my favorite movie of hers) is a frequent pantyhose wearer and looks amazing in them. I haven’t seen enough of Brenda Song, but it’s neat that someone voted for her.

I love Gong Li, Maggie Cheung and Karen Mok, and they all look fabulous in pantyhose, but to me, there is just something truly remarkable about seeing Bai Ling in pantyhose. Maybe that’s because it’s so unexpected.

She is extremely intelligent and has great talent. She is incredibly beautiful. But she fits in perfectly within the Hollyweird culture. I don’t really get her, but I can’t help but love her.

She is known for wearing the skimpiest and strangest outfits, and looking awesome in them.

But when she wears pantyhose, it is so heartwarming to me. She kills me in a good way.

“Pantyhose – To Wear or Not to Wear (ladies only please)”

This was not the poll that saw the widest margin of victory, but the winning answer got 19 of the 24 votes (79%). The winner, I’m happy to say, is this answer:

“I choose to because I believe in and wholeheartedly support the concepts of beauty, glamour, class and sexiness inherent in pantyhose.” Coming in second was the answer: “I am not on one side or the other and would wear or not wear pantyhose based on the appropriateness of the situation/environment.” That answer got 3 votes (13%).

I wrote (ladies only please) at the end of the poll question because I knew what answer men would give, and I really wanted to see what women would say. I always wondered if the votes were indeed by women only. I don’t know, but there were 2 votes (8%) for the answer: “I choose not to on my own personal volition because I think pantyhose are uncomfortable, impractical and/or unnecessary.” We know women cast that vote.

But here’s the real news: Not a single vote came in for the answers: “I choose not to because I believe in and completely support the cause for the bare legs movement … period;” or for: “I choose not to because the excuse now exists thanks to the bare legs movement.”

Hey, I’ll take our minor victories anywhere I can get them.

Today’s “Bear Legs culture:”

This is the poll, attached to the post “Why Bears don’t wear Pantyhose,” that launched my whole “bear” legs terminology. The answer that won this poll was: “Can’t die a horrible death soon enough.” Still, it got only 60 votes out of 110 (55%). Taking second place with 26 votes (24%) was the answer: “Is to punish men (for being men).” Sorry about that, guys.

OK, are you wondering what poll got the most activity and won by the very widest margin? This won’t come as a surprise to most of you. It was attached to my first (and arguably best) post of 2011 (Jan. 9), titled “Why Not Pantyhose and Open-Toe High Heels?” This post still gets comments and generates discussions, remaining one of the most popular on this blog.

“Pantyhose with open-toe high heels?”

This poll generated 160 votes – by far, the most activity of all the other polls. The winner was the answer: “Absolutely! Yes, please!” You gave that answer 151 votes (94%). I’m so proud. Getting only 7 votes (4%) was the answer: “No way! No How! Never!” And just 2 voters (1%) selected the answer: “Who cares?”

Professional singer/dancer and TV personality Paula Abdul always wears sheer pantyhose during public events, and looks perfect in open-toe heels.

More than any of my other posts, “Why Not Pantyhose with Open-Toe High Heels?” struck a huge chord with you. This was the post in which I first bashed all the so-called “fashion experts” for making up hard and fast rules that dictate what they say is acceptable or not for you to wear. That anyone listens to these people is unfathomable to me.

I had no idea when I wrote it that this post would generate so many comments and poll votes. I am so glad you overwhelmingly support the wearing of pantyhose with dress sandals.

Even more, I love it when celebs (by far the greatest influencers of fashion) completely disregard the advice of the “experts” and always wear pantyhose with open-toe heels.

Looking at the picture of Paula Abdul, I can’t imagine how there could be even a few people out there who still think this look is wrong.

Wrap-up

As much as I love my self-appointed mission of being the voice of hope and reason for the return of pantyhose to favor in all aspects of society, I couldn’t write this blog without your participation. I try to make my posts compelling and entertaining, hoping to generate comments and discussion among you. And I throw in polls to give you another avenue to express your views about pantyhose.

Sometimes, when more time than usual goes by between posts, I’m struggling to stay motivated or to come up with something I think you’ll care about. The point is I do this for you. I hope you will continue to contribute, and I hope more of you will get involved.

Finally, I could say this (and probably will) until I turn blue, but we owe our thanks to so many wonderful celebrities all over the world who turned out in droves wearing pantyhose this year. There’s not enough space to acknowledge all of them, but let me recognize a few we couldn’t have done without this year.

Ann Curry: She is beautiful, classy and professional. We owe her so much gratitude for keeping the bar high in TV journalism.

Carly Foulkes, the beloved T-Mobile Girl: Now we know it wasn’t a fluke. I don’t know how many commercials she’s made now, but she’s always in one of those famous pink dresses, with awesome pumps and sheer nude pantyhose. She’s a young hottie who potentially can influence an entire generation to dress more femininely.

Julianna Margulies is one the most professional Hollywood actress, always dressing professionally, especially wearing elegant outfits with sheer pantyhose everywhere she goes.

Julianna Margulies: She has always been professional and classy, and now, as the star of “The Good Wife,” she can do no wrong.

She’s a great actor on arguably the best show on TV, and so, in her we have a highly visible celeb who wouldn’t be caught dead not wearing pantyhose.

Hopefully, Julianna will influence those career women who don’t think there’s anything wrong with showing up for work with bear legs.

What I like most about Julianna is that not only does she always wear pantyhose on the job, but also out in public and on late night talk shows. She’s truly a devoted wearer.

Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, Selena Gomez and other young professional entertainers are doing the right thing.

Perry and Gaga, and Paula Abdul are practically pantyhose ambassadors because they wear not only on stage, but also out in the public eye.

These women are priceless contributors to our cause.

Kate Middleton: Obviously, much has been made of her commitment to wearing pantyhose, and rightfully so. She clearly is all about class and elegance and doing the right thing. In all fairness, she may be the one woman who singlehandedly changes the course of pantyhose’s fate in global fashion circles.

Yes, 2011 was a great year for pantyhose. We’ve made up so much ground, and I am looking forward to more of the same in 2012 and beyond.

Readers of this blog have come to know and appreciate my column, Credit ‘wear’ Credit is Due, in which I heap loads of praise on some worthy celebrities for their devotion to wearing pantyhose.

And we’ve had some great ones, haven’t we? Ann Curry, Fran Drescher, The T-Mobile Girl (Carly Foulkes), Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Middleton, and Carrie Ann Inaba (for doing a complete 180 and finally wearing pantyhose on every episode of the game show “1 vs. 100,” which she hosted recently.)

Minus that headline, I’ve also glorified some other devoted pantyhose wearers, such as Anne Hathaway, Julianna Margulies, Milla Jovovich, Meredith Vieira, Katy Perry, Parker Posey, Linda Fiorentino, Kim Basinger, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. And there are many, many more who deserve such recognition.

Then, a couple of months ago, I introduced a whole different column. This one shines the spotlight on those celebs who completely miss the boat, just don’t get it, lack the finest sense of true femininity, and always miss opportunites to show some real professionalism, elegance or class.

So, for only the second time, I am handing out the coveted (NOT) ActSensuous Grizzly Award.

And this time, the hardware goes to one Stacy London.

Fashion consultant Stacy London always wears beautiful dresses and high heels, but unfortunately, she's a devoted and vocal follower of the "bear" legs culture.

That’s right, the co-host of TV’s “What Not to Wear,” a reality makeover show, in which London and her wonder boy sidekick, Clinton Kelly, use their superior brains and good taste (yes, I’m being sarcastic here) to completely trash the wardrobe of their guests and reinvent them in their own fashionwise images.

And, as many normal people have written in comments to online postings by or about these two “fashion experts,” they often do it in a completely arrogant and insulting manner.

A perfect "Beauty and the Beast" scenario as the professional and classy Meredith Vieira, left, who always wears pantyhose, interviews fashion expert Stacy London, who never wears pantyhose. Does London not see how much better Vieira's legs look than hers?

As readers of this blog know, I despise so-called “fashion experts” who make universal rules and tell everyone what they can and cannot wear, as if their likes or dislikes about fashion trends are somehow more appropriate and obviously more sound than what anyone else on the planet thinks. It’s “fashion experts” like these two who’ve come up with the “rule” that one can never wear pantyhose with open-toe high heel dress shoes — a rule that, incidentally, is almost never followed by anyone with half a brain, and one that is standing up less and less to scrutiny everywhere.

So Stacy London, possibly the queen of all “fashion experts,” gets the second Grizzly Award (after Sarah Jessica Parker for obvious reasons)? But it’s not just because she’s a “fashion expert.” Rather, it’s because she’s on record as stating that she likes bare legs for all seasons. That, and she’s using her credentials and influence to further her own agenda — a personal dislike and distaste for pantyhose as a fashion accessory.

Here’s are a couple of excerpts from a 2008 segment of TODAY.com where London is a style contributor, answering readers’ questions about fashion:

Q: I was watching “What Not to Wear” when you appeared horrified by the idea of wearing hose. I know it’s not really the style now to wear nylons, but I have terrible spider veins on my white legs. What do I do now that skirts are knee-length and those veins are so obvious? Any advice?

A: First of all, the only hose I really hate are the semi-sheer ones in suntan or black. They look dated and remind me of a time when women would walk to work in their suits, those hose, white sweat socks and white leather aerobic sneakers. Blech. Might as well throw in a whole can of hairspray, too. Too ’80s! Stay away from anything that has a mid-range denier number that indicates the sheerness of the hose (10 is very sheer, 30 is semi-sheer and 50 is opaque).

I recommend a good self-tanner for the pale-leg situation, but also realize that won’t help with spider veins. Look for opaque tights and try them in a subtle color, like a burgundy or deep purple, when wearing a neutral-color knee-length skirt or suit. They will hide your legs and add a visual punch to your outfits!

Q: You indicated that pantyhose were no longer proper attire. You stated that in summer, go with bare legs and in winter, wear tights. I enjoy wearing pantyhose and want to know if I am old-fashioned if I wear them?

A: I did not mean to indicate in my last segment that pantyhose are no longer appropriate attire. My feeling is that those that are considered day sheer or mid-denier don’t look modern, but a bit dated. The denier number on hose shows you how sheer the stocking will be. The lower the number, the more sheer they are.

For example, a denier of 10 will be supersheer. These are great for evening, especially with a little shine or a back seam, as they look natural and simply enhance the legs for evening. A denier of 30, is what I have most trouble with; it’s neither here nor there. It’s not sheer. It’s not opaque. You know? It’s like a relationship: Either you’re in or you’re out. This wishy-washy sheerness dates an outfit to the ’70s or ’80s, when this style was most popular. But when you get to a denier of 50 or above, and the stocking is clearly opaque, I think this becomes a more modern and relevant look. A shiny tight like this can be used for day or evening.

OK, first, the country’s leading fashion expert comes out and blatantly tells women to go with bare legs in the summer? She also tells women to use self-tanner for pale legs? Seriously? Second, she recommends opague tights in a subtle color, “like burgundy or deep purple?” (Those colors are subtle?)

Stacy London actually wore this outfit during the Keep A Child Alive's 5th annual Black Ball Nov. 13, 2008 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, NY.

Hey, look, I respect others’ opinions, and the fact that London is considered a fashion expert, if that’s her best advice about leg coverings, then too bad for her and anyone who listens to her. While I completely disagree with London about everything she says about pantyhose, I’ve got no problem with her actually saying it. She’s entitled to say what she wants. Where I have a problem with her is on her point about denier ratings.

She specifically says that it’s pantyhose with a denier rating of 30 that she finds objectionable. She even cautions “If they come in an egg, you don’t want to wear them,” referring to the L’Eggs brand (owned by Hanes) of the 1970s and 80s. But she’s wrong. L’Eggs and their competitors (the most widely-known one being No Nonsense) made their pantyhose in a 20 denier rating.

As she said, denier rating determines how sheer the nylon fabric is. The lower the number, the more sheer the pantyhose. When I created ActSensuous in 2001, I looked into the 10 denier rating she referred to, and yes, they are super sheer, but the fabric is coarse and not very natural looking. They are not soft or silky at all, and while there may be a market for them, it’s not a very big one. You almost never see anyone wearing pantyhose like these. And, yes, denier ratings as high as 50 are available, but they are tights that are thick and, in my view, not suitable in some venues, such as a formal dinner engagement, nor for proper business attire.

No, my problem with London’s remarks are about the pantyhose of the 1970s and 80s being so awful. I loved pantyhose in the 70s and 80s, and I’ve never known of a 30 denier rating. But what do I know? The pantyhose of those decades were made almost entirely of 100 percent nylon fabric in a 20 denier, which is exactly why I made ActSensuous in a 20 denier. I think those are precisely the kind of pantyhose that true pantyhose lovers love. Those are the style, the look and the feel that we all miss. Maybe London meant to say a 20 denier rating is what is so awful.

By the way, ActSensuous has hundreds and hundreds of customers from all over the world, literally from Atlanta to Bangkok, from California to Denmark, from New York to New Zealand. We’re big in England, France and Australia. We have customers from China, Korea and Japan. I don’t think there is a country in which we don’t have customers. And they all tell us ActSensuous are the softest, sheerest and sexiest pantyhose they’ve worn. But, really, what do we all know? We’re not “fashion experts” like Stacy London and Boy Wonder.

In doing the research for this post, I ran across this forum on the Internet:

To the question: “What’s your honest opinion of Stacy London and Clinton Kelly of What Not to Wear? Do you like this Show …?, most answers were negative, but even some of the supportive ones came out against their obvious negative slant against pantyhose.

… Why is (Clinton Kelly) telling me what all men find sexually alluring on women?

A lot of gay men know a lot about fashion, but to get such advice on that subject, I would like a 2nd & 3rd & straight opinion.

… These two complete followers of Brittany and Sarah Jessica Parker have agreed that they do not like pantyhose, (fine), however, they dictate to their audience and columns that, “No one likes them.” “Everyone looks bad in them.” Etc…

I think my legs are my best feature and every boyfriend I have ever had have all confessed to me, after that shyness period passed, that they were all ‘ga ga’ for me (girls in general) when wearing sheer silky pantyhose (hence my nickname, given to me by my current boyfriend sitting kind of to the side here & still a little shy) and tights, but mostly the sheer nude/tan/beige hues.

Lastly, the show was/is not only incorrect on so many levels, but caters to and from their mindset only. Falling into this show would have you most likely ending up as a follower. Be a trendsetter, not a follower. Be stylish. Be sexy. Be yourself. Not what they insist on.

Let me tell you something: this LindsaySheers gets it. Good for her.

If ever a case could be made for wearing pantyhose, click on the image to see the expanded version. Stacy London looks very lovely in this photo, but wait until you get to see a closeup of those legs.

You know, I want to like Stacy London.

She’s a beautiful and charismatic woman, she’s very intelligent, and she has accomplished great things in her life.

Before co-hosting “What Not to Wear,” she started her career as an editor at Vogue magazine, then, became a stylist for celebrities and designers, then, a fashion contributor on many Today show formats.

She is or has been a spokeswoman for several brands, including Revlon, Pantene, Woolite and Dr. Scholl’s® For Her Comfort Insoles.

Along with Kelly, she’s written a book, “Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That’s Right for Your Body.”

I actually felt a little bad when I named Sarah Jessica Parker the first recipient of the ActSensuous Grizzly Awards because, when researching her for the piece, I actually found several pictures of her wearing pantyhose. That’s right, the one celeb universally “credited” with creating the bare legs culture with her “Sex and the City” TV series and movies, actually wears pantyhose fairly regularly. It was more symbolic that SJP had to get the first Grizzly Award.

But I don’t have any reluctance about bestowing upon Stacy London the second Grizzly Award. I can’t find a single photo of her wearing pantyhose. Granted, some of the pics of her on the Internet are of low resolution and too small a file to really be able to tell if she’s wearing or not. But based on everything London says and stands for, I am pretty sure she is not wearing pantyhose in any of the pics on the Internet. Certainly, she comes across as if she hates pantyhose, thinks they are old-fashioned and irrelevant today.

The dynamic duo, Clinton Kelly and Stacy London of TV's "What Not to Wear."

I liked “What Not to Wear” when it debuted in 2002.

I watched quite a few episodes and I remember longing to see London wearing pantyhose with those beautiful dresses and high heels she always wore. But it never happened.

I thought that was such a missed opportunity on her part — a chance for her to show professionalism, class and elegance in the role she held. But, to her, it wasn’t a missed opportunity at all.

This lady just doesn’t believe in pantyhose … period.

Like LindsaySheers, I too was upset and offended when I saw a video of London and Boy Wonder “explaining how to wear pantyhose,” especially when they admitted the video was made only because they were getting so many inquiries from consumers about why they never talked about pantyhose. Then, when they said that nobody looks good in suntan pantyhose and no one should ever wear them, I realized that there is probably no one more deserving of the second ActSensuous Grizzly Award than Stacy London.

It seems that the current-but-maybe-not-for-much-longer “bear” legs movement came upon us all of a sudden. One day things were normal and good, and then suddenly pantyhose were public enemy No. 1 (among women that is).

It’s been a long decade-plus of the awful bear legs look, but gradually, in ever-increasing numbers, pantyhose are gaining their legs again. Have you noticed?

They’re in movies and TV shows more and more. They’re in TV commercials all the time. They’re even on fashion runways, and that’s a real good thing. They’re in magazines, too. And now, they’re also the subject on more and more women’s minds as one can see on Internet discussion boards, where there’s always that question: “Are pantyhose back?” To which some answer: “I never realized pantyhose were out.” Love that.

Yes, it’s looking more and more like pantyhose are starting to cling to more willing wearers each day. With that in mind, here are some recent pantyhose happenings that are getting my attention:

Celebs deserve our thanks

Probably the biggest reason that pantyhose are once again in mainstream consciousness is the vast and ever-growing number of Hollywood actresses, entertainers and pop stars wearing during their performances.

As fabulous as she looks like this, it’s surprising Cameron Diaz doesn’t wear pantyhose more often.

In only my second ever blog post (June 2009) titled “Calling out Professional Entertainers,” I blasted celebrities for instigating and perpetuating the bare legs movement (back then, I hadn’t come up with the idea of referring to it as “bear” legs.) My, how far we’ve come. I am so proud of the many veteran celebs who never left, or have now come back to pantyhose. And that includes Cameron Diaz, who until recently, I thought would be the next recipient of my new column, “The Grizzly Awards.”

But I’m even prouder of the young, up-and-coming celebs who are outright pantyhose goddesses. Yes, we’ve still got a long way to go, but I think it would be difficult to name more than a few young celebs today who are just complete bear leggers — ones you’ll NEVER see wearing pantyhose.

A young, rising star, Selena Gomez has the class and professionalism to wear pantyhose on stage.

There are hundreds of others who deserve credit, but this is a good start.

Since nothing influences fashion in everyday life like what we see our favorite celebs wearing, I think we’re in a very good time and place right now with all the professional performers out there donning pantyhose.

Waitin’ all day for Sunday night

Hey, Jack, it’s a fact … the outfits Faith Hill is wearing this year during the intro theme to Sunday Night Football are soooooooo much better.

While this photo appears “doctored up” a bit, Faith Hill’s bare legs during last year’s SNF theme were an eyesore.

Last year, she wore that way-too-short black dress with some funky, chunky (OK, ugly) shoes, and Casper-white bear legs that (I have to say it) looked awful. Sorry, Faith.

This year, she wears mid-calf length pants, but with pumps and pantyhose.

While a leather skirt would have been better, Faith Hill looks so much better in pantyhose during the SNF intro theme.

As I’ve written before, doesn’t she (whomever I’m dissing at the time) see herself on TV later and say “What was I thinking?” or “Why didn’t someone tell me ?”

Well, one of those things must have happened in Faith’s case. Thank you.

Another win for pantyhose.

More football

One of the hosts on NFL Network on DirecTV, Kara Henderson, was doing the bear legs thing during interviews with fellow analysts and guest coaches and players. Uh, Kara, “Come on, man!” (Yeah, I know — that’s a bit featured on ESPN prior to Monday Night Football — but I couldn’t resist.)

Again, she must have seen herself on TV or someone told her how awful her legs looked. Now, she wears pantyhose and looks sooooo much better. Good call.

Remember, I am writing just random thoughts here. Suzy Kolber is one NFL analyst, host, sideline reporter I always liked. She is very professional. She used to wear pantyhose with nice suits and heels all the time. Lately, I’ve seen her wearing pants more than anything. I hope she doesn’t allow herself to be influenced by the vast majority of other female NFL types and stop wearing skirts and pantyhose and heels.

Why always black pantyhose?

Seems when we see a celeb wearing, especially one who typically doesn’t, it’s always black pantyhose. I mean sheer black pantyhose are nice, and certainly better than bear legs, but somtimes, I think women think it’s all they can wear.

Nude and Suntan are such a nice, refreshing look these days when it seems that all we ever see is black.

Those awful ‘fashion experts’

If you’ve read this blog, you know how I detest those people called fashion experts. They probably gave themselves that title. Since my post, “Why not pantyhose and open-toe high heels?” remains the most popular on this blog, you know how hard I’ve been on these monkeys for making that “rule” that you can NEVER wear pantyhose with dress sandals.

It still amazes me that everyday people seek out the advice of these fashion gurus. It’s not like these guys’ opinions have any more value than your own good judgment, but I still see on Internet threads cases where someone wants to know if it’s OK to wear pantyhose with dress sandals. Recently, and I love this, I’ve been seeing the fashion police cave a little on this issue. The last piece of advice I read was that it’s OK as long as the hose is sheer at the toe (well, duh), or (and get this), if it’s thick, opaque hose. Well, OK, I s’pose that’s better than their previous blanket “NO WAY” answers.

I love countering their idiot opinions with the fact that some of today’s most popular Hollywood stars (again, the number 1 influencers of fashion) always wear pantyhose with open-toe high heels. It’s like these so-called fashion experts think they know better than everyone else, yet, the whole world is doing exactly what they tell us not to do.

Thanks but no thanks

The other day, I stumbled across a video made by the stars of the TV show “What Not to Wear.” I used to watch that show, but after you’ve seen 5,000 episodes, you start to realize it’s pretty much the same story over and over again. In any case, I never saw the show’s beautiful star, Stacy London, wearing pantyhose, and I hate missed opportunities (meaning a beautiful fashion expert who has great legs, but sadly, doesn’t enhance them with sheer pantyhose). And now, she’s making TV commercials and still not wearing. Guess she is squarely behind the bear legs movement.

So I was surprised to find a video she and her partner, Clinton Kelly, made, titled “How to wear pantyhose.” Wait, they are talking about wearing pantyhose? Well, I certainly wanted to hear what they had to say on the subject.

Not only is singer/songwriter Katy Perry immensely talented, she also has the class and professionalism to always wear pantyhose in public appearances. Now, how can fashion experts ever say that suntan pantyhose don’t look good on anyone?

Turns out their advice was pretty much that most women don’t want to wear pantyhose, but if you do, “That’s cool.” Kelly advised that if you’re going to wear pantyhose, make it look deliberate; not a half a shade or two off your skin tone, but rather make it appear that you’re intentionally wearing hose, such as opaque tights. He’s standing next to a mannequin wearing a dark blue dress, with black tights and black shoes.

London talks about denier ratings (the sheerness or thickness of the fabric). Her mannequin is wearing a black dress. London recommends a very low denier (sheer) black pantyhose with a back seam to make it more elegant.

OK, I don’t have any real issue with their advice, except that both agreed that whatever you do, you should NEVER wear suntan pantyhose because, Kelly said, “They don’t look good on anybody.” What?

Meanwhile, London appears to be wearing some kind of dark blue, almost purple, dress that just didn’t do anything to flatter her lovely figure.

And worse, she is wearing some really ugly shoes. Ironically, it looks as if she is wearing pantyhose (must be my eyes are bad) and if she is wearing, they sure look like suntan to me.

On one hand, I’m glad they talked about pantyhose, but I am disappointed that they admitted to covering the topic only because they had been getting questions from many viewers about why they don’t talk about pantyhose. London’s and Kelly’s remarks have a bit of a negative tone about pantyhose, but they didn’t do any real damage. But look at the face that London makes as she’s signing off. Her expression seems embarrassed, almost apologetic, for even mentioning pantyhose.

What really bothers me is that they put down suntan. I can tell you suntan is still far-and-away the most popular pantyhose color among devoted wearers. I love suntan.

While all the haters out there continue to rear their ugly heads, pantyhose keep raising their pretty legs, and finally, it seems that more and more people are taking notice.

In one of my first blog posts ever, Calling out Professional Entertainers (June 2009), I blamed Hollywood celebrities for their too-casual look. Far too many of them still show a lack of professionalism and class in the way they present themselves in the public eye, but there has been a huge improvement.

And in my Credit ‘Wear’ Credit is Due series, I’ve recognized and appreciated many actresses, entertainers and other celebs for never buying in to the ugly bare legs trend and always wearing pantyhose. I’ve done the same for many of today’s new crop of young performers who deserve credit for embracing pantyhose and setting a good example for young women everywhere.

Hey, I realize I can’t save the world. There is a yin and a yang in life. One cannot know soft if one has never experienced hard. One cannot know cold if one has never experienced hot. I could go on. I won’t. (You’re welcome).

OK, one more: One cannot know beautiful if one has never seen ugly.

Which brings me to this:

Madonna, left, and Britney Spears, right, who wore this costume at a much older age than Miley Cyrus, had the class and good sense to wear pantyhose underneath.

Now, let me just say that I know nothing about Miley Cyrus. I am sure she’s a nice enough girl. I realize she’s young, and maybe not all that bright yet. But she is a professional entertainer. She has to take some responsibility for her actions.

Those who say pantyhose are old-fashioned or unnecessary think this look is attractive?

Maybe she just grew up (not sure those are the right words) during a time when none of her gal pals owned a pair of pantyhose or even knew what pantyhose are. Maybe they don’t have pantyhose in the parts from which she hay-als. But that didn’t stop Daisy Dukes, did it?

Could it be that she wanted to achy breaky her daddy’s heart with that outfit? It seems to me that someone associated with the production from which this picture was taken should have stepped in and told her how awful she looked. Couldn’t someone have showed her a picture of herself before she went on stage?

Again, I don’t mean to single out Miley Cyrus. There are many entertainers just like her. But it does go to show just how professional, classy and glamorous so many other professional performers are.

Beyonce' is among some special young performers today who have the class and professionalism to wear pantyhose on stage.

We might expect those good qualities from entertainers like Jennifer Lopez and Madonna, who emerged on the entertainment scene during the 1980s – perhaps, the greatest pantyhose era in history.

To me, it’s a very pleasant surprise and a real sign of hope for some semblance of class in today’s society when young entertainers, such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Beyonce’ and others choose to wear pantyhose on stage (and often in public in general.)

Last month, Lady Gaga performed an impromptu concert for the audience before she appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Apparently, while setting up the stage, some fans began chanting for her to perform a couple of numbers. And so she did.

Lady Gaga wows audience members before the taping of her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Not sure what to make of her outfit, but I’m not complaining. I didn’t see that episode, so I have no idea what she wore on the set for the part that was televised, but before taping began, she rocked that audience with “Born This Way” and “Judas.”

Maybe Lady Gaga is a bit over the top, but I love how she always brings attention to pantyhose. And while she has been a positive influence on her contemporaries when it comes to wearing pantyhose, this outfit makes me think that Lady Gaga wants to be the undisputed Goddess of Pantyhose on stage.

Knowing that practically every man with a pulse loves women in pantyhose, I have to believe that when girls see how much their boyfriends go ga-ga for Lady Gaga, the girls would develop a different perception of pantyhose than the one the haters out there want everyone to have.

Of course, you know how much I’ve gushed about the likes of Nicole Kidman, Milla Jovovich, Julianna Margulies, Anne Hathaway and others who are devoted pantyhose wearers. But the one celeb who has garnered the most positive attention for pantyhose the world over remains Kate Middleton.

On Monday, a positive story about pantyhose appeared in the Detroit Free Press by Associated Press writer Samantha Critchell:

My thanks to another of this blog’s readers, Carl, for telling me about this article, and that Lady Gaga performance, too.

Yes, it appears that pantyhose haters will always exist. It just amazes me that they have singled out the most beautiful, feminine and classy thing a woman can wear as the object of their hatred.

And, yes, there will always exit those who simply make bad wardrobe choices, those who just don’t “get it” and a few who will blindly jump on the bandwagon of any fashion trend.

But all that makes it even more pleasant and heartwarming when we see the many celebs and everyday women out there who are continuing to wear pantyhose. And isn’t it nice to see pantyhose snagging some positive press again?

Madonna, left, and Britney Spears, right, who wore this costume at a much older age than Miley Cyrus, had the class and good sense to wear pantyhose underneath.

Those who say pantyhose are old-fashioned or unnecessary think this look is attractive?

Beyonce’ is among some special young performers today who have the class and professionalism to wear pantyhose on stage.

Lady Gaga wows audience members before the taping of her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Britney Spears

Jennifer Lopez

Katy Perry

Rihanna

British singer Jessie J performs on stage with a broken leg Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011 at V Music Festival in Hylands Park, Chelmsford, England. If any performer had an exuse to not wear pantyhose on stage, it would be Jessie for this event, but she had the class and professionalism to wear even with that therapeutic boot.